REAL Food Recipe - Honey Oat Bread

This bread is soft and delicious and makes great sandwiches or toast.  I make the dough in my bread machine and let it do its final rise in a bread pan before baking it in the oven but you could make this dough by hand or do it in your bread machine from start to finish.

 

Honey Oat Bread  

3 cups all purpose flour*

½ cup quick cooking oats

2½ tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

3 Tbs honey

3 Tbs olive oil or melted butter

1 egg

1 cup hot water 

Select the dough cycle. Place dry ingredients in pan and select start.  Add oil and hot water.  Once dough forms a smooth ball (you may have to add a little flour or water depending on humidity) close lid and allow cycle to run completely. 

Once finished remove dough from machine and knead lightly on a floured surface.  Dough should be smooth and not sticky.  Pat dough flat and then roll it up.  Butter a loaf pan and place dough inside seam side down.  Cover lightly with a dish towel and place in a warm, draft free area. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, approximately one hour. 

Bake loaf in a preheated 400° oven for 20-22 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush top with butter, if desired. 

*I have also used 2 c. flour and 1 c. whole wheat flour. 

Once the loaf has cooled completely you can slice and enjoy immediately or place inside a large Ziploc bag and freeze.

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 128

 

After my trip to Las Vegas it felt really good to get home, snuggle with my kitties, sleep in my own bed, drink my own coffee and eat my own food.  It was also nice to go out to the garden and pick a pile of tomatoes so I could get back to my list of canning projects.  First up was to make a batch of chile verde using green tomatoes, peppers and onions as well as some cilantro and spices.  My house smelled delicious while that was cooking away in my slow cooker.

 

But first, I got a text from work asking me to come in and work on Friday if at all possible.  I put my canning plans on hold and worked the entire day, which I loved by the way.  While I was there my boss approached me to work extra hours in the upcoming weeks due to the sudden departure of one of my co-workers.  I told her “no problem!”

 

I am planning to use the extra funds to pay off my 0% interest 6 month PayPal loan on the new refrigerator.  Every pay day I’ve been making a payment and right now I only owe $300 of the $695 I started off with.  In the meantime my savings account as well as my emergency fund remains intact and is earning interest.

 

Midweek we had a shift in the weather and much cooler temperatures.  After looking at the projected forecast I made the decision to pull and put away the A/C units for the season and rely on open windows, fresh air and my box fans once again.  I’m also hoping for a couple months of very low electric bills before I need to consider heating my home this winter.

 

In that same vein I am beginning to wind down the vegetable garden.  Although it was a tough garden year due to excessive grasshopper activity and a long heatwave this summer I did amazingly well with my tomatoes, pears and apples.  I pulled up the pepper plants having only harvested one viable pepper this year.  I am not going to do anymore watering and allow everything in my yard to simply rely on Mother Nature from here on out.

 

The hummingbirds have moved on for the season, about a week earlier than usual so I have cleaned up the feeders and returned them to their place in the garage.  I will miss my sweet little birds a lot and I will be looking forward to their return next spring in mid May.

 

Next up, I have pruning and trimming to do, some yard clean up and all of the other little things to do around the house to get things winter ready.  I have made plans to expand the garden some and will also be working on that project as well.  Although I am not a great gardener, with far more fails than successes, I do want to keep trying.  My small successes do give me hope.

 

I even rearranged & cleaned the living room

I love the cozy vibe!  And my terra cotta pumpkin!

The powder room

To celebrate the changing of the seasons I did get out my bin of Fall décor and spread it about the house.  I swapped out all of my hand soap dispensers and lotions with the fall scented ones which I enjoy the most.  I also switched out the chair covers in the dining room with the brown ones I like to use during the autumn months.  I will miss the summer, as it was a particularly good one for me, but like many I am excited for this upcoming Fall season.  How about you?

 

Decluttering Doesn't Stop

 

This year I made another pass throughout my entire home and collected items I no longer need, want or use and began to collect those items in a bag out in my garage.  Once the bag was full I added a box.  Then I added another one.  I collected items to go into the recycle bin, to drop off at the hazardous waste site, to go into the trash and to be donated to the thrift store.  I shredded old paperwork, some mail, papers with sensitive information on them and old tax returns.  I even went back through the sentimental bin and got rid of a few more items I was ready to let go.

 

I cleaned out the junk drawer.  I went through my office supplies, twice, and took stuff into the senior center.  I went through my pantry and collected items I didn’t want to eat and took that into the senior center.  I donated some clothing items to the senior center thrift store.

 

I went through the bedroom closets and drawers.  I went through the kitchen cabinets and drawers.  I went through the linen and hall closets.  I went through the garage.  I gathered up items I wanted to use up and made a point to do that.  I took inventory of what I had so I didn’t wind up buying more stuff I did not need.

 

I gathered up craft supplies and made planners and journals to give away and for my own use.  I gathered up greeting cards I had made and sent them out to friends and loved ones.  I even donated some.  I’ve shared more of my stuff with others.  I’ve cooked more and entertained more to use up extras so they did not go to waste.

 

In the process I’ve been very mindful of what I am bringing back into the house.  I’ve politely declined items offered to me by well meaning and generous friends and family members.  I don’t make impulsive purchases and I really think long and hard about anything I do end up buying.  I’ve even taken some stuff back to the store and returned it after realizing I didn’t really want or need it.

 

Now that I’ve done all of this I know I am still not done.  It is a continuing process to manage what I have and keep on hand.  To use up what I have or donate it so it isn’t wasted.  I need to make sure paperwork is kept up to date and relevant and that anything else is properly disposed of.  As mail arrives in the mailbox I take care of it right away so only the most important pieces end up coming into the house, the rest goes into the recycle bin.  It is a process and one that needs consistent attention, but I do find the more I do it the easier it gets.

 

Spending LESS $$ - Dishes, Pots & Pans, Bakeware

 

In my humble opinion very little of what is sold in stores these days is worth me spending money on.  Especially when it comes to items I use each and every day like my cookware and dishes.  I personally love the classics – Corelle, Pyrex, Revere Ware, Le Crueset, Club and cast iron.  They hold up and serve me well.

 

My kitchen is outfitted quite simply.  Over the years I’ve weeded out the cheap crap and things I no longer need, want, use or enjoy.  Anything broken beyond repair or never really worked that well to begin with has hit the road.  What I have kept is old fashioned, charming and built to last.  And it has.

 

I have a pretty good Pyrex collection from the 1940s and 1950s.  I’ve purchased most of them from eBay and some from thrift stores and antique shops.  I love them and I use them to bake with and for food storage.

 

After years of trying various cookware that claimed to be nonstick I got rid of it all.  I am blessed to have inherited a collection of Revere Ware pieces from to grandmothers and a great grandmother as well as some nice cast iron skillets.  My great grandmother’s old aluminum dutch oven remains my favorite and is the one I use most often.

 

At one point in my life I was a Pampered Chef consultant and I find their products are quite a good value for the money.  I still have and use their knives and pizza stones.  The egg slicer and dicer sees action routinely as well as the pizza cutter.  I still have the original set of wooden spoons, the offset spatula and the mini spatula too.  Their garlic press is still going strong after thirty years of use as is the ice cream scoop.

 

I love my Corelle dishes.  They are in the classic Frost White and go with pretty much everything.  I’ve added some patterned items over the years – Christmas Holly bread plates, floral luncheon plates, but for the most part I stick with basic white.  They are lightweight, durable, chip and break resistant and take up far less space that most other dishware.

 

The older stuff has more charm, is durable and it just suits me better.  I invested in some good solid pieces and then I was done.  I’m not wasting money replacing items that wear out or break.  Choosing wisely, I find I don’t need as many things when they can perform double duty.  By making the investment up front I’m saving money down the road as prices tend to increase and quality tends to falter.

 

What are some of you favorites in the kitchen?

 

What Am I Preparing For?

 

About a month ago a friend of mine looked at my LTFS and asked me “Is there something I need to know?”  In essence, she wanted to know if I was preparing for anything in particular and should she be doing the same.  Preparedness is a very personal journey.  We all prepare ahead for various reasons based on what is going on or could possible go on in our own lives.  For me, I’ve always tried to be as prepared as possible in case money got tight.  All my adult life I was always concerned about job loss or an unexpected expense that could turn my finances completely upside down.  When you are raising children that are totally dependent upon you for pretty much everything, it feels all that more real to you.  So what am I preparing for now?

 

I’m going to be completely honest with you.  The pandemic of 2020 has had an everlasting effect on me.  Watching grown adults in Fred Meyer strip the shelves bare and fight with each other over items the other one had in their heaping shopping carts was an eye opening experience I’ll not soon forget.  Care, concern and helping out your fellow man was completely out the window.  The “every man out for themselves” mentality was on full display and I found it beyond shocking.  I had never seen anything like it and I was not at all prepared for what I saw.  I was so disgusted with those people and what I saw that I left the store empty handed and went directly home.  I don’t ever want to experience that again.

 

What happened that day, March 13^th, 2020, scared me because I saw human beings acting in ways that were not very humane and I simply was not prepared for that behavior.  It proved to me what I feared the most about the human race.  Fear makes people into animals.  Since that day I decided to up my game so my family would be better protected.

 

Couple that previous experience with my own research into what constitutes as “food” these days has made me want to up my game even further.  I don’t want to eat chemicals, preservatives, additives, fillers, genetically modified, enriched, emulsified, reconstituted, flavored, dyed, artificial, synthetic, flavored, lab created or engineered anything.  I firmly believe that whenever you mess with the natural order of things you create more problems than you could ever possibly solve.  I also firmly believe that the mass consumption of the ultra processed grocery items that pass for “food” is what is causing the vast majority of health issues and the obesity, epidemic.  It would not surprise me if it also is a leading cause of most of the mental and developmental disorders we see today.  Our bodies were never designed to eat this stuff.

 

By growing, sourcing and preserving as much of my food as I can I feel like I can better control what is in it.  By keeping a good supply of that food on hand, both frozen and shelf stable, I can easily feed myself good nutritional meals.  By keeping a two year supply on hand at all times that I can rotate through and replace as I use it I feel I can safely weather whatever comes my way.

 

While I no longer fear job loss or financial worries while raising a family I do have concerns that at anytime we may face another pandemic (COVID is still around) and that our government would lock us down again.  To me that is a real possibility.  I have no control over the weather and it is reasonable to assume that we could have another snowpocalypse again.  An unexpected expense or illness is also one of those things I do like to try and prepare ahead for.  Anything can happen that could affect our supply chain – crop failure, trucking strikes, inclement weather, etc.  I have zero control over my fellow man so whatever might upset them and cause them to behave badly is something I hope to avoid as best I can.  If I need to stay home for a long period of time to stay safe and well, regardless of the circumstances, then I know that I can do that without a problem.

 

With all of that being said I do not go about my days fearing the worst.  I’d much rather prepare and not need it than need it and not be prepared.  I am always optimistic and hopeful that my fellow man will surprise me and that people will be able to learn from the past and be better for it.  I have faith in God and I pray that our future will be good no matter what the outcome of future events and that our leaders will lead and protect us rather than succumb to war and carnage.  I want to live out my days the best I can with little worry and much joy.  That is what I am preparing for.

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 127

 

It has been very smoky here in Boise, Idaho as the wildfires have continued to burn and the smoke has settled into the valley.  The air quality is so poor that staying inside as much as possible is advisable.  My asthma has definitely been affected by this situation.  About a week ago I had planned, now that the temperatures are so much cooler and my broken toe has healed, to start back to riding the bus, but that did not happen.  We could sure use a torrential downpour to clear the air and put those fires out.

 

On Friday of last week the new Muscle Rack I had ordered arrived and I quickly got busy once I got home from work and got it put together.  I had bought one of these last year for my LTFS and it has performed so well that I did not hesitate to order another one.  After all of the home canning I’ve been doing this summer it was definitely needed so I wasn’t storing my jars in boxes on the floor long term.

 

Plenty of space for everything now

No more canned goods on the floor 😁

The arrival of the new rack snowballed into a complete room refresh.  I cleaned the entire room, moved some items, decluttered some stuff and then once the rack was assembled I did a complete reorganization of pretty much everything.  Thankfully, I had little bunny foo foo there to give me a hand to help me with the process and make sure I did a good job.  She really seemed to enjoy herself hopping around and inspecting everything I did.

 

Bunny approved!

Once I completed this big project I was able to run the little wire barrier and get it placed just the way Miss Daisy likes it.  The barrier keeps her away from anything she might be tempted to chew on and separates her from my LTFS area.  She gets the other side of the room as her domain so she has loads of space to run around in.  She is funny in that although she doesn’t like to be in a cage at all she does like me to place the barrier so she has a bit of a surround where she likes to lay in her favorite spot and often sleeps.  I made sure she still had her favorite spot just as she likes once all was said and done. As you can see she didn’t hesitate to take up residence right away.  She is such a cutie.

 

Italian style diced tomatoes for the shelf

On Saturday I woke up to overcast and smoky skies as well as a pile of ripe tomatoes on my kitchen counter so I got busy chopping them up and packing them into jars.  I was able to can six pints of diced tomatoes to add to the shelves for future recipes.  I am hoping to can a few more jars of diced tomatoes as well as some chile verde sauce before the end of summer.

 

Homemade granola

With the lower than usual temperatures that day I went ahead while my tomatoes were processing and turned on the oven to make a double batch of homemade granola.  I filled up a half gallon as well as a quart size mason jar so now I will have plenty to enjoy with my latest batch of homemade yogurt.  I can also use it with fruit or berries and the yogurt to make parfaits.

 

I stayed at The Excaliber
Vegas had a heat advisory and it was HOT!

These guys were pretty hot too 😆

Monday was Labor Day here in the U.S. and it also happened to be my birthday.  The big 6-0.  Back in May I went ahead and booked myself a birthday trip to Las Vegas including a ticket to see the Tournament Of Kings show which I’ve wanted to go to for ages.  It was GREAT and I had a blast!  I spent three days doing whatever the heck I felt like doing and just enjoying my own company.  I had quite a few friends offer to go with me, but I wanted to go it alone this time and just experience a vacation by myself.  I strongly recommend it!

 

I had to put most of the leftovers into the freezer
This thing is huge!

It was fun to go and it was nice to get home, especially when I saw all the birthday wishes waiting for me.  And a Costco cheesecake!  It doesn’t get much better than that!  I spent all of Thursday resting my dogs after putting in A LOT of steps in Las Vegas.  My legs were sore and my feet were killing me!  It was so worth it and I’m already planning my next adventure.  With so many options though it is hard to decide what’s next.  Any suggestions?